From Library Journal
Originally written in Yiddish by Holocaust survivor Alpert in 1947 within the constraining guidelines of the Stalinist regime, this book was expanded and enriched by the author when he left the Soviet Union over 30 years later. It relates the final years (September 1939-September 1942) of his native Slonim, Byelorussia when it was controlled first by the Soviets and then by the Nazis. Alpert strove to memorialize the 25,000 slain Jews of Slonim, and he painstakingly details names, places, and actions and reconstructs dialog garnered from oral testimonies, thus giving the book a novel-like feeling. There is a wealth of intimate information on the Slonim's inner life--including the barbaric Nazi tactics. Almost half the book focuses on Jewish partisans in the forests, illuminating their activities and their relationship to Soviet partisans. This important account of a community adds to the accumulating knowledge of Nazi actions against Jews and the Jewish response.
-Benny Kraut, Univ. of Cincinnati
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-Benny Kraut, Univ. of Cincinnati
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Yiddish
Original Language: Yiddish
